Jean,
You know I didn't have HELLP, so I know very little about it. but it would make sense that, just like with PE, your chance of recurrence is higher than the chances of a woman who hasn't had it developing it for the first time.
I loved the What to Expect books the first time around! But I have to say that because they cover such a wide range of issues, they probably know very little about hypertensive disorders (just like they know very little about multiples and multiple pregnancies!). I read the Expecting book religiously last pregnancy, but this time I kind of see it as a downer, really. It's probably like what Mindy said about them covering their backsides -they feel they have to cover every issue, so the info isn't as great. Like someone who knows a little about everything, but is an expert in nothing! Hope that makes sense
Again, they are VERY handy books to have - especially the First Year. But I found the Le Leche League books to be much more encouraging.

My consultant told me that I would be at a higher risk than the "average" woman for getting HELLP with a subsequent pregnancy but that they would give me baby aspirin and monitor me and he said if I got HELLP again it would most likely be less severe than the first time (not terribly helpful as they don't know when I developed it!) - but basically no one can agree on the stats!

Mother to baby boy Lee born 12/3/2011 after emergency induction at 38weeks following diagnosis of severe atypical HELLP syndrome. Having come within hours of losing both our lives every smile is a celebration.
Baby sister Paige c-sectioned at 38 weeks with no signs of HELLP :)

I think the discrepancy might be in how the statement is phrased- I've seen a really low recurrence rate, too- at 5% from reputable sources, but because HELLP syndrome is so relatively rare, that 5% is still much higher than women who have never had preeclampsia before.

I seem to remember something like 10% of all pregnant women will have some sort of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. 5% will meet the diagnostic criteria for preeclampsia. 1% will meet the criteria for severe preeclampsia, and a fraction of that 1% will develop HELLP syndrome. (Heaven help me, I have no idea how accurate it is, other than a general rule of thumb)

Good docs can go a whole career and never see women as sick as many of us got and many more of them may never have seen HELLP syndrome, either. There's some speculation that because it is so relatively rare that it isn't specifically diagnosed as often as it may occur in pregnancy- after you get that sick, they don't need any additional affirmations that you need to deliver! Just some perspective to keep in mind- we're the exceptions for most rules and the repository for worst case scenarios! The quality of information available to us as survivors is a world different than it was during my first pregnancy in 1998 and even at my second 5 years later. It is taking them a while to catch up with us!

I got diagnosed as chronic HTN with my second after having HELLP. My perinatologist gave me a >50% chance of having it again but said with LDA it can reduce by another 15-20%. I still think those are fairly high odds. Even at 30% it's 1/3 and the general population doesn't have that high of odds for getting HELLP so your book sounds correct to me.

They probably wrote that to cover their @$$ and because you're more at-risk than a woman who hasn't had it in a previous pregnancy. With that being said, your research echos what my perinatologist told me....hope that helps!

So I thought from all that I've heard, that chances are less that you would have HELLP a second time. (Though you could still possibly have it, for sure..)
Anyway, I was reading my What to Expect When You're Expecting book, and in there it says a woman who has had HELLP is likely to get it again! EEK! Do I have an old edition or something, or does the author not know as much about it, or what? I thought the chances were anywhere from 30%-40 or 50....but that's still a majority of percentage that a person wouldn't get it again (well, unless it's 50...)

Our first son was born and passed in Feb of 2010. Born at 29 weeks due to HELLP and passed due to NEC. We miss him every day. :~(

Our second son was born at 39 weeks gestation in Nov of 2011. No HELLP or pre-e! Took LDA starting at week 12 and went off of it at week 38!